Review: Burning Up by Jennifer Blackwood (Flirting with Fire #1)

Burning Up by Jennifer Blackwood will be available May 8th!

Read my thoughts on this smoking hot book!

USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Blackwood fans the flames of desire in her smoking-hot series about firefighters and the women who want them…

Unemployed schoolteacher Erin Jenkins is back in Portland, the town she hasn’t called home for more than a decade. It’s not the way she wants to spend her last days of summer: in between jobs and avoiding her mother’s snooping by escaping to the ice-cream aisle. But when the opportunity arises for her to accompany her brother’s best friend—her lifetime crush—to a wedding, summer gets a whole lot more interesting.

Firefighter and single dad Jake Bennett has built a nice, safe wall around his heart—no romance, no getting burned. That doesn’t mean he’s ruling out a fling. Considering Erin’s visit is temporary, they’re the perfect fit for a scorching no-strings one-night stand. Or two. Or five. Until the worst thing happens: Erin and Jake are feeling more. Damn that four-letter word.

Now their hearts are on the line, and when their smoldering summer comes to a close, it’s going to be harder than ever to put out the fire.

I can’t get enough of Jennifer Blackwood’s way with words. She is sweet and witty and hilarious. This was my first time reading a book by her and y’all better get ready to read more of my thoughts on her other books because this will certainly not be the last time you see her name in this blog. I’m well on my way to becoming a huge fan of hers.

Books about characters getting together with their childhood crush/brother’s best friend are amazing on their own but add a single parent who also happens to be a firefighter into the mix and you have yourself a super fun and steamy romance almost as hot as the cover. Jennifer’s amazing talent for story telling, charming and witty characters absolutely nailed every little thing in this romance. The pacing of Erin and Jake’s relationship is perfect, just when you think things are about to move quickly, things slow down yet again. It is definitely on the slow burn side of things and I loved that. The chemistry and the connection between the characters is natural and effortless. And reading Jake’s interactions with her daughter had me—and will have you—melting away because he tries his best to be a great parent and he is adorable.

The only reason I’m giving this a four instead of a five is because I felt like I didn’t really get to know Erin (the heroine). Even though some chapters are narrated from her point of view I still felt like I never got to know her on a deeper level and that led me to confusion because I didn’t understand the reasoning behind some of her decisions.

In case you didn’t catch my subtle message, I definitely recommend this book. It is a fun contemporary romance story that you will absolutely enjoy if you’re a hopeless romantic.

Massive thanks to Montlake Romance for sending me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!